What’s your dream job?
I’m going to take a guess here and say something pops into your mind fairly quickly when I ask this. I’m also going to guess that very few people will say their current occupation is their dream job.
What’s my dream job? Glad you asked. My dream job is to be a paid author/writer. I’m halfway there…I just need to keep plugging away until I get to the paid status.
What Is Your Dream Job?
What if you don’t know what your dream job is? Let me ask you this, if you hit the lottery tomorrow and making money was not a factor, what would you like to do day in and day out as a profession?
Writing is my passion. I spend a lot of time doing it even though it’s only made me $200 so far. Truthfully, I know that I will always be a writer, even if I don’t ever finish my novel, or find someone to publish it when I do. I write because I need to write. Obviously, I would love to be a famous author one day but until that day I will continue to write for myself and my 28 or so readers on this little blog (thanks to all 28 of you! LOL!)
What do you love doing? Landscaping? Decorating homes? Coaching or teaching? Cooking? Public service?
What If I Don’t Have My Dream Job?
One of my sons told me the other day that most of his friends weren’t happy with their jobs. I know a few people that love what they do for a living but honestly, I know a few that are definitely not happy with their current work situations.
First off, I’m not naïve enough to believe that we can all have perfect dream jobs. It’s called work for a reason, right? I do believe though, that no one needs to be miserable in their careers.
I’m 48 and I’ve been working since I was 15 and it’s amazing how the workforce has changed just in my 33 years of working. There is so much opportunity available today. It’s no longer an environment (for the most part) where you’re likely to work at one job/company for your whole life. In fact, some would argue that you’re probably going to advance much more quickly, both in experience and salary, by changing companies throughout your career.
Action Steps To Find That Dream Job
- Figure out what you might want to do. Again, what would you like to do if money wasn’t a consideration?
- Interested in a certain job or company? Reach out to your contacts and see if you can find a way to talk to someone in the position/company you’re interested in.
- Do your research. Will you need further education for this position? Can you substitute experience for some education?
- Quitting your job and jumping into something radically different might not be smart or even financially feasible.Can you take some baby steps though?
Let’s say that your dream job is to open a restaurant. You could find a restaurant similar in the style to the one you want to own one day and get a part-time job there to learn the ins and outs of restaurant work while you save up to get your own one day.
My day job is a Treasurer for a small city. You’ll find me hunkered down somewhere writing most weekends and some evenings though. Last year I even took a writing sabbatical and splurged on a hotel room out of town for some hard-core writing time.
Don’t Settle in Life
My sons’ life experience thus far (thankfully) doesn’t match what mine was at their age. I was married at 22, quickly had two children, and became a widow at 25. It took me another 5 years to finish my accounting degree while working full time and being a single mom. I was so very fortunate to have family to help me out with my kids and occasional babysitting. I was also fortunate to find jobs that provided insurance and allowed me some flexibility in my work hours to attend my kids activities.
That being said, I regret not being brave enough to venture out of my safe, comfortable job for better opportunities. It was a huge leap of faith for me to leave my last employer. I loved my coworkers and was very comfortable with my work role after almost 12 years there. My current job kind of fell into my lap though and with the lure of some pretty fantastic benefits I accepted the offer. December will be my 4 year anniversary in my new position and although it’s sometimes crazy, especially with all the extra work Covid has created in the role, I’m glad I’m there. My salary has increased substantially and so has my skill set.
My current mission in life is to encourage my sons to take bigger leaps in their lives. They are hard workers and very smart. I just want them to be confident enough to not live their lives in safe mode like I did for far too long. Every position might not be your dream job but set yourself up for a dream life. Maybe that means finding the dream career and maybe it just means finding a good enough job that allows you the time and money to live your dream life outside of your working hours.
What’s your dream job? Are you happy with where you’re at now?
